Most bang for buck upgrade?

joecoulson · January 7

So we are all always on here talking about all these expensive items and upgrades, at least most of us are, but I’m curious to the “ so we are all always on here talking about all these expensive items and upgrades, at least most of us are, but I’m curious to see what some of the best upgrades for the least amount of money that some of you have come across in your journey?

nooshinjohn · January 7

Pass Labs X1 preamp. Yes, I paid 2 k for it used, BUT it opened up my entire system and took it to a place that I thought was not possible before,

joecoulson · January 7

Lol. $2k is a lot of buck, but glad it changed everything. I guess if you look at most systems as a whole, that’s not that much to pay for such a huge upgrade.

nooshinjohn · January 7

That’s the way I see it too, and given that the X1 was 7k new, it is a steal at 2k.

daddyjt · January 7

If you are currently running an AVR, the addition of even a modestly powered separate amplifier is a solid upgrade.

joecoulson · January 7

Agree completely. Did that a while back. And to further that, get a preamp that has HT bypass to upgrade the 2ch listening

Viking64 · January 7

Replacing the tweeters in my SDAs.

joecoulson · January 7

Drew was just busting me up for double posting on that original post. Sorry about that guys I did not proofread and just hit post

I hope one day I get to hear these famous SDA’s

DSkip · January 7

It might sound absurd, but the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole. Once I got this speaker it changed what I thought was possible with music reproduction. This speaker and the Volterra continue to have that same impact on clients who hear them in my space and are my best selling products. You can spend multiples and not get close to the reality they present.

joecoulson · January 7

Weird. I was just texting Drew that he should get those (I think same models) from you

DSkip · January 7

The newest version will be at AXPONA so you both will be able to get your ears on them. I'm just hoping I can get the room to work with me. They are quite the investment though.

Other bangs:

Douglas Connection Furez IC's
Wireworld Equinox SC's
Pangea AC-14se PC's
PNF Audio cables
MastersounD BoX
RD0 tweeters as mentioned above
Baby Marantz receivers (2215, 2216) - the others are now too expensive and these still play well with modern speakers
****AURALiC Aries Mini - still unparalleled on the market. Even though I'm no longer a dealer for them, I wish this product was still available as I still push clients entering the streaming world to find a used one. They're getting harder and harder to find.

Obviously most I listed are cables but its easier IMO to get a passive product to shine than it is an active one.

joecoulson · January 7

I am looking forward to hearing them and seeing them as their descriptions on the Rosso website (enclosure materials) is quite interesting

joecoulson · January 7

I guess along the lines of Johns thinking, even though it was close to $2k, one of the biggest changes in my system (sans speakers) was the AQ Niagara/Thunder combo. It’s changed so many aspects of sound and even visuals (tv) that it kinda blew my mind.

steveinaz · January 7

In general I'd say 2 things, as far as cost vs audible differences:

1. Turntable cartridge change
2. Speakers

Joey_V · January 7

For me, it was the Boulder amp.

txcoastal1 · January 7

Acoustic panels, room tuning

Viking64 · January 7

Joey_V wrote: »

For me, it was the Boulder amp.

It's "bang for BUCK", not "bang for MORTGAGE".

audioluvr · January 7

For me, since I'm a budget minded DIY'er, speaker crossover upgrades was a big jump. Then the B&K Reference 50 pre/pro I picked up for $100 (thanks to @Tonyb 's lead)

rpf65 · January 7

I’ll probably go with the Panamax power conditioner I’m still using. Bought it for half price, open box with no box available, for $150. Never had a power conditioner before that one, and the improvements to both audio and video amazed me.

motorstereo · January 7

How far back can one go? I can remember when a Realistic mpa250 was a huge step forward for me for short money. But for the past couple years upgraditis has steadily become much more expensive. I'm thinking my dreadnaught has to be one my better bang for the buck upgrades over the past few years. A quieter background and the ability to monoblock the sda's are big steps in the right direction.

Joey_V · January 7

Dang it!!!

Viking64 wrote: »

Joey_V wrote: »

For me, it was the Boulder amp.

It's "bang for BUCK", not "bang for MORTGAGE".

txcoastal1 · January 7

OK, I'll try learning how to read...I didn't read the last sentence and thought you were asking for our opine, bang for your buck, on you're audio journey since you have new speakers.

Mine was when I purchased the Dyn C4's, I needed good power as I already owned the C1's

The Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks purchase was the biggest bang for the buck. 250watts per channel of Nelson Pass class A power for under $7k. That included purchase, shipping, and refurb. That's at least 1/3 of current market price for that much quality and power. My Dyn's loved me for it too!!

joecoulson · January 7

I’m sorry but I’m just gonna go ahead and say it here, I called it… 5–6 p.m.

Tony M · January 7

Joey_V wrote: »

Dang it!!!

Viking64 wrote: »

Joey_V wrote: »

For me, it was the Boulder amp.

It's "bang for BUCK", not "bang for MORTGAGE".

Yea, I just thought maybe a Boulder amp 2060 could be in my future so I checked them out.

I don't see one of those in my future upgrades.

F1nut · January 7

MIT cables. Every other cable I've tried didn't make music like the MIT's.

verb · January 7

For me, gotta be 2 things (of many changes this past year):

The VTL tube pre-amp. Going from the Rotel 1580 SS pre to the VTL was a major leap for me.

Of course my SDA SRS's!

The extra bit of sweetness for me is all the great deals you can find here on CP. Yeah I'm a little further behind on many of the journey's here, but I'm happy to take your hand-me-downs!

gudnoyez · January 7

My Parasound A31 brought my HT rig to a whole other Level.

verb · January 7

audioluvr wrote: »

For me, since I'm a budget minded DIY'er, speaker crossover upgrades was a big jump. Then the B&K Reference 50 pre/pro I picked up for $100 (thanks to @Tonyb 's lead)

And, I may say, you have the satisfaction of the DIY! Well done sir!

displayname · January 7

DSkip wrote: »

It might sound absurd, but the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole. Once I got this speaker it changed what I thought was possible with music reproduction. This speaker and the Volterra continue to have that same impact on clients who hear them in my space and are my best selling products. You can spend multiples and not get close to the reality they present.

After hearing the Pienza at your place, I'd love to hear the Fiesole or Volterra. Honestly, of all the stuff we listened to the Pienza has haunted me the most. I keep wondering if those were paired with the right subs could they out perform a lot of towers? Or maybe I just need to hear some more Rosso towers?

As far as my bang for the buck, I've mostly done vinyl the past few years, and I think the phono stage is often overlooked/under appreciated. I honestly believe phonostage upgrades have made more significant changes than cartridge changes or turn table changes in my system. I would image a DAC likely holds the same relevance in the digital chain when you get it right.

audioluvr · January 7

Dave, did you ever get your 1C' s finished????

verb · January 7

audioluvr wrote: »

Dave, did you ever get your 1C' s finished????

Nope. Look at em everyday while in the basement. But yes, I do plan to finish them!

Most bang for buck upgrade?

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Most bang for buck upgrade?

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